So I've fallen rather behind on my 2016 listening and, much more than that, cataloging my 2016 listening. The number of decently good albums I've heard and forgotten the bands/names behind is frankly embarrassing and that made this difficult. On top of that, I've only really found myself revisiting 4 albums from this year, 2 of which are fairly known, one of which is an EP, and then there's this, which no one else here has rated and, to my knowledge, only Gowi had checked any of.
Say Anything is really just Max Bemis plus whoever. It's sort of like Dr Frank to The Mr T Experience or E to Eels, it's more a solo project with an ever-evolving backing. Bemis is perhaps best known for "... Is a Real Boy", a fairly well reviewed pop punk album from some years back, but since the quality of his work has been ... varied. I'm one of the few who enjoyed Hebrews, a concept album with strings in the place of guitars for the most part and guest vocalists galore. His style generally has been a bit all over but tends to range towards anthems celebrating awkward moments/people, and I think what's set this album apart for me is it still has that really anthemic feel but it's less marketed towards a middle schooler's daily life (not that there isn't a place for that).
This album leans away from the pop punk and power pop ideas more common across his older work and into NY hardcore influences, which isn't to say it's a hardcore album - far from it - but it's much more hardcore than your usual pop punk. And I really don't think this qualifies as pop punk even, it's veered fairly far away from that sound on the majority of tracks. The backing band here includes his old bassist and the biggest improvement I think, the drummer from MUTEMATH, a band whose ideas I like more than their execution. There's some interesting math-rock influences throughout as a result of his influence, as well as Dylan of Tiny Moving Parts being featured on several tracks. Princess also features half of The Hotelier and the anthemic emo vibes get added to by their influence. The sort of lo-fi production throughout seems like something that shouldn't gel with these ideas necessarily but somehow, it does.
Overall, it's not a perfect album, the flow in some places is a bit weird, there's a track I could do without (Bret Elison), but it's a very different look at what this man's brain is like and it's a strange melding of power pop, math rock, and hardcore, 3 genres that aren't that far separated but I somehow don't associate as working well together, and the result is some strangely catchy rock tunes.
Favorite tracks: Give a Damn, Goshua, and Varicose Visage.
Album can be streamed from spotify or the official youtube playlist here. _________________
Wouldn't really recommend anything from this band besides ...is a real boy which is one of the best albums of all time. However, this album has been the best release from this outfit since in defense of the genre.
So I don't really know anything about this band, I haven't even seen the movie. I did have a period of time where I was really into the pop-punk sort of stuff, jamming The Vandals or whatever, and I dunno it's absolutely no fault of the music. It's because of how tied it is to a person that I'm not anymore, I can't really listen to it, like I've conditioned myself to have this immediate negative reaction. But it seems like the hardcore influences or whatever have pushed away a lot of the sound that hits that directly triggers that. I mean I have no idea where the genre went in the past 17 or so years, so there's probably some emo shouty stuff in here that isn't too unusual for the genre, or the prettier sort of stuff. But even the stuff that doesn't feel too far removed from pop-punking, it's reconfigured enough for me to stay in the present. Though this is still really not my kind of stuff, it's still interesting. Like some of this is sorta sadguy rap in moments, like sote or somebody? I'm getting some pop-anticon vibes at times. I think there is a hip hop element to the amalgamated genre here in addition to what's been mentioned. But yeah I still can't get close to this music, there's still a sort of emotional grammar that I'm not comfortable with. It seems like a solid pick for this though, can't imagine there's too many albums sounding like all of this.
So I don't really know anything about this band, I haven't even seen the movie. I did have a period of time where I was really into the pop-punk sort of stuff, jamming The Vandals or whatever, and I dunno it's absolutely no fault of the music. It's because of how tied it is to a person that I'm not anymore, I can't really listen to it, like I've conditioned myself to have this immediate negative reaction.
I feel like people have this sometimes happen with other genres but it's mostly the pop punk/emo stuff and I wonder if that's due to it's target as a younger audience or due to its target as a more sad/upset audience. Not really sure.
Tap wrote:
But it seems like the hardcore influences or whatever have pushed away a lot of the sound that hits that directly triggers that. I mean I have no idea where the genre went in the past 17 or so years, so there's probably some emo shouty stuff in here that isn't too unusual for the genre, or the prettier sort of stuff.
For what it's worth, here's something off Say Anything's most recent album prior to this to give a sense of where he was headed:
there's a lot of bands trying to go for the whole Blink sound again like Neck Deep, Seaway, etc. but it's been a weird splinter between the pop punk that's trying to go back to an older sound and then the more recent emo with pop punk sprinkled on top in some cases.
Tap wrote:
But even the stuff that doesn't feel too far removed from pop-punking, it's reconfigured enough for me to stay in the present. Though this is still really not my kind of stuff, it's still interesting. Like some of this is sorta sadguy rap in moments, like sote or somebody? I'm getting some pop-anticon vibes at times. I think there is a hip hop element to the amalgamated genre here in addition to what's been mentioned. But yeah I still can't get close to this music, there's still a sort of emotional grammar that I'm not comfortable with. It seems like a solid pick for this though, can't imagine there's too many albums sounding like all of this.
He had talked about a hip-hop influence and outside of the moments where he sort of goes into talking instead of shouting/singing I wasn't hearing it as much but that's interesting that you picked up on it too, I'd be curious if others heard the same. Will need to check Sote, not familiar.
On a related note, if anyone does know of albums similar to this, let me know cuz I'd love to check them _________________
Listened a bit yesterday. Should probably give it another go. Like Tap, this isn't really the type of thing I seek out anymore. I think back when I was in high school, I'd probably have been really into it. From the first listen of I Don't Think It Is, I definitely got a glimpse of why Ben likes it as much as he does. It's one of the more interesting and impassioned emo/pop punk records I've heard in quite a while. I can't help but feel the vocals are overly affected at times, a criticism I've had of emo for quite some time, but I was still left with a positive impression from tracks like Rum and Goshua. _________________ http://jonnyleather.com
So... did he really get into Refused recently? Because this sounds like the sort of post-hardcore worship that was going on a decade ago with outfits like Showbread, Alexisonfire, etc.
I actually know Say Anything relatively well, or at least, I used to. When I was dating my now-wife back in high school, she was really into them, and I dug In Defense Of The Genre and all, but they were just never really my thing. They were fine, but just something I never connected with.
I do give them credit though, on this album, for doing something different, and I love the use of Darren King on drums, he's great, and the guitar work is cool too, but for whatever reason, this album just didn't really strike me. It's a fine album, I have nothing against it at all, but it felt like it had been done before. But not bad album at all, it was definitely an interesting listen. _________________ 2023 Chart
This one shows how deceptive first listens can be. I totally hated it the first time around, particularly the vocal was unbearable, to the point that I gave it up completely as I was not able to write anything decent.
I came back to it today and I must say that while I probably won't become a fan, I got used to the singer being all over the place and the experience was mostly just fine. I appreciate the variety of tempos on songs like Rum or 17 Coked Up Speeding and I dig the explosive quality of Give a Damn. Somewhere in the middle it got a bit samey, but the more mellow tone of The Breat Easton Ellis School of Witchcraft and Wizardry put it back on the right track and the rest of the album was quite enjoyable.
So, don't think once it's alright. _________________ Always shouts out something obscene
So... did he really get into Refused recently? Because this sounds like the sort of post-hardcore worship that was going on a decade ago with outfits like Showbread, Alexisonfire, etc.
I really need to check old Showbread, first and only album I've heard of there's is Showbread is Showdead and I wasn't huge.
Grzywa wrote:
Somewhere in the middle it got a bit samey, but the more mellow tone of The Breat Easton Ellis School of Witchcraft and Wizardry put it back on the right track and the rest of the album was quite enjoyable.
It's interesting, I've heard that from several people, but I felt the opposite personally, it just felt a bit out of place on this album for me. Not a bad song but I could've done without it, but you're not the only one who I've seen make it out to sort of be the saving grace of the album. Tis interesting _________________
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
